M'Lynn Christensen cuts Jackson Otken's hair Tuesday night as part of a benefit for trooper Andrew Steen at Artist Hair Studio in Tea. Fundraising for Steen's family consisted of a raffle, a silent auction and haircuts. / Melissa Sue Gerrits / Argus Leader

Andrew Steen

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A highway patrolman and two Lincoln County deputies have been cleared of any wrongdoing in a high-speed chase and shooting last month, according to a report from the South Dakota Attorney General’s office.

The report was released Tuesday evening. It details the events of Oct. 17, when Rachel Coleman led Trooper Andrew Steen on a high-speed chase to a parking lot at 57th Street and Western Avenue. The chase drew backup vehicles from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and the Highway Patrol. Three law enforcement officers fired 23 times that night.

Steen was injured in the incident and remains in critical condition. On Tuesday, hundreds of people came to Artist Hair Studio and Spa in Tea for a benefit, with a cut-a-thon, raffle and silent auction. Steen family friend and business owner Holly Stauffacher said the turnout was “amazing.”

The original goal was to raise $5,000 for Steen, and she thought they easily exceeded their goal. She estimated they gave at least 120 haircuts. All proceeds go to the trooper. Stauffacher said it was a worthy cause.

“I will do anything for him,” she said. “Anything they need.”

Chase details

Coleman is charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer, hit-and-run accident resulting in death or injury, and aggravated eluding. She had three prior DUI arrests on her record and a warrant out for another DUI on the morning of the chase.

“It is the conclusion of this report and the Attorney General that Trooper Andrew Steen, Lincoln County Deputy Aaron Bartscher and Lincoln County Deputy Tom Krull were justified in firing their weapons and using lethal force,” Attorney General Marty Jackley stated in the report.

According to the report, Steen tried to stop Coleman, and she crashed into his car. Steen and another trooper again tried to stop Coleman by immoblizing her vehicle. But she again hit Steen’s car, the report says.

Steen then got out of his patrol car and was in front of her car, commanding her to stop. But, the report says, she accelerated and he fired several rounds as she came toward him, and past him. Coleman then drove into the storefront of David Jones and narrowly missed Steen and another trooper, the report says. Bartscher also fired twice at Coleman to try to stop her, the report says.

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The report says Coleman then backed out of the storefront, and another trooper tried to box her vehicle in with his own car, spinning her car toward the lot. Steen then ran toward her car, and she again accelerated toward him, leaving skid marks, as he commanded her to stop. She continued to speed up, and he again fired at her vehicle, the report says.

Coleman struck Steen, and he was forced onto and off the hood of her car. She then drove off, and over a small tree, as she fled the parking lot. Krull fired at her as she left the lot. He fired 14 times.

She left the parking lot, with troopers in pursuit. She was apprehended at 47th Street and Western Avenue.

Investigation history

Law enforcement officers in South Dakota involved in shootings in the line of duty have all been cleared of any wrongdoing since the Attorney General’s office started investigating them in the early 2000s.

Jackley said it’s a testament to the training and professionalism of South Dakota’s law enforcement officers.

“It’s a dangerous situation when you have a vehicle traveling through busy residential areas at speeds of 80 to 90 miles an hour that ultimately crashed into a business, ran over a police officer,” Jackley said. “So while certainly it is extremely unfortunate that we’ve had a trooper very seriously injured, it could have been worse. It could have been several civilians injured, it could have been more officers injured.”

Coleman’s blood-alcohol level was .079 four hours after she was arrested, according to the report. Jackley said Tuesday that under normal circumstances, a blood alcohol level would be taken earlier, however he said these “weren’t normal circumstances.”

“This started a little after 2:30 in the morning, and obviously we had a situation where there was a shooting and officer severely injured as well as a suspect/defendant that was injured,” he said. “It was based upon that that affected that time line.”

Jackley could not comment on whether drug testing was done on Coleman, citing the ongoing case.

Steen's status

The most recent update to Steen’s CaringBridge site, where his loved ones have been writing about his recovery, says that Steen is awake and making good progress.

“Andrew is making remarkable progress. One of his physicians said in his 30 years of medical practice, he has not seen progress as Andrew has made,” the journal entry posted Sunday stated. “We are on day 25 after the assault. He looks good. He is checking his email on his new iPad that his fellow troopers gave him.”